The Edgeucation of Adam Copeland, Grade 2!
by RRatedauthor
Summary: The asked-for sequel. Edge is a free man... can he go on with his life? For that matter, can anyone? Rated M for Mature!
1. Chapter 1

By request... the sequel... the characters portrayed in this are not my own, nor do I profit from their use. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental... read and enjoy!

Freedom!

With a bounce in his step, Adam left the courtroom a free man. It had been a long time since his incarceration and he was looking forward to doing something. He laughed as he recalled seeing Jeff's expression when the verdict was read. He laughed even more when the full implication set in... he. Adam Copeland, had gotten away with murder! So what that his aunt was doing time? They were never close to begin with.

"I need a drink." He said out loud. So what if anyone heard him? The cockiness that had been missing while in jail was back and in full force. He sauntered into the nearest bar, in a celebratory mood, and announced that "this round is on me."

The bar cheered. It was not often that a stranger bought a round. Well, not everyone cheered. Of all the gin joints in all the towns, Adam had to walk into the same one the Jericho and Cena had popped into.

"Hey guys, why the sad faces... you look like you just lost your best friend... oh wait, you did." Adam gloated. Hey, the bar was pretty full. He was sure that one of the rough trade that he'd just bought a drink for would back him up if either of them got physical.

"Shut it, Cope." Cena growled

"Go have your own fun somewhere else Junior." Jericho added

"Sore loser, Irvine?" Adam catcalled. He only ever used Chris' real name when he wanted to antagonize him really badly or he was really drunk. Since he wasn't drunk yet, the rationale was obvious.

"Not as sore as you're gonna be if you don't get out of my air space." Jericho signaled for another.

Adam smirked and sauntered over to another part of the bar where he proceeded to get ripped, all the while watching the pair.

"God, I hate that fucking guy." Cena groaned, likewise signalling for a refill.

"How do you think Matt and Jeff are doing?" Chris tried changing the subject, but no matter what they talked about, they could feel Adam's eyes on them, like he was waiting for one of them to make a move.

"Dunno. Jeff was kinda shaken up though." Cena replied

"Well, wouldn't you be?"

"Yeah, I guess." Cena stared at his drink. "Well, here's to making Adam's life hell."

"I'll drink to that." Jericho agreed

They tapped glasses and drowned their sorrows a little more with alcohol.

...

The dinner dishes still sat on the table. If Eric had been there, he would've been annoyed. He was always fastidious about cleaning up after a meal. Matt and Jeff, wine glasses in hand, had gone into the living room.

"Damn, Jeff, that was awesome!" Matt burped. "And, even though this isn't Turkey, that was a compliment."

Jeff blushed. He always enjoyed it when someone appreciated his creative side. Or his ability to give head, but that's another story for another time.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, bro." Matt looked somber. "What did you mean when you said you saw Eric in the bathroom? Are you sure you weren't..."

"I saw him!" Jeff screeched "I was standing at the sink and I saw him. He was right behind me!"

"Jeff, if you say you saw him then..."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Jeff put on his pouty face. "You think I'm nuts, don't you?"

"Jeff, I believe you." Matt replied "Have I ever not believed you?"

"There was that time when I told you Santa wasn't real." Jeff responded

"Yeah. You were six and I was nine if I recall." Matt reminded him. "Christmas was never the same after that."

"What does it mean, Matty? Why would I see him?" Jeff asked "It scares me."

"Well Jeff, I'm not a religious expert, but maybe that was his way of reminding you that he will always be with you, just not physically." Matt replied

"Like an angel, you mean?" Jeff replied excitedly. "My own angel?"

"Something like that." Matt replied "Or there's the other school that thinks when someone dies unnaturally, their spirit could return to seek revenge."

"You've been watching that movie again!" Jeff teased

"Not since you kept having nightmares." Matt responded

"If that's what happened, yeah right, then why did I see him?" Jeff demanded

"Beats the fuck outta me, li'l bro. Either way, I think he just wanted to make sure that his love was gonna be alright." Matt answered. Damn Jeff and his questions. After today he just wanted to eat, drink, and be merry with him, not have a psychological discussion in the middle of Eric's living room.

While he waiting for the next imponderable, Matt's phone rang. This time it was a recognizable number.

"What does he want?" Matt asked

"Who is it?"

"Vince... hello, boss. Not much... just finished dinner with Jeffro... yeah, it was a weird day... we thought so too... okay... are you sure? But Vince, could we at least talk about this... I mean, now is not a really good time. Okay, we'll be at Titan tomorrow at eight. Thanks Mr. McMahon, I do appreciate this." Matt hung up and faced Jeff.

"Da boss, I take it."

"Yeah... we're drafting on Raw on Monday."

"Cool. New blood." Jeff always enjoyed messing with new people in the locker room.

"Yeah, but they want to split us up again." Matt answered

He got the reaction he'd expected when Vince first dropped it on him. Jeff turned pale, then started to cry.

"Matty, you can't leave me! I'll quit if you go!" he wailed

"Shhhh, Jeff." Matt set his glass down and moved over to be beside him. "We have a meeting with Vince tomorrow. I agree with you. With everything that has gone down, there's no sane person who would ask you to be alone. Especially with Adam lurking around."

"Pleeeeeeeasssseeeee." Jeff sobbed helplessly.

"No sense getting worked up right now." Matt stroked his brother's locks. "Let's wait until the meeting tomorrow. Maybe we can work something out." He hoped to hell that Vince could see how bad a move this would be. Screw the Hardy vs. Hardy angle, the fans weren't buying it from the start, but Jeff by himself right now was a disaster waiting to happen.

...

"You gotta know when to walk away, know when to run!" Jericho drawled

"You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table..." Cena joined in

"You do." Chris interrupted

"No I don't... fuck, I lost my spot. Where was I?" John blinked, trying to remember the lyrics.

"How should I know?" Jericho slurred "You were the one singin' it."

Arms linked, they staggered down the street toward their hotel.

...

"If we gotta meeting with Vince tomorrow, dontcha think we should get some sleep." Matt drawled, thick with drink.

"Might be a good idea, dude." It took a lot of effort, but Jeff finally was able to bring his arm close enough so he could see the face of his watch. It was a little past midnight.

"I'll take the couch." Matt said, fluffing a pillow.

"Matty, would you stay with me tonight?" Jeff asked "Just for tonight."

After their encounter the previous morning, Matt wasn't sure how to reply. The last thing he needed was any more rumours to be floating around. He and Jeff already had enough to deal with, and that ridiculous story line with Eric just before he left had done nothing to lessen people's opinions of them as anything by incestuous rednecks.

"Jeff, I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Matt replied

"Okay, I understand." Jeff averted his eyes to the floor. He was lying and both he and Matt knew it.

"I'll be out here if you need me." Matt stretched, his toes tickling Jeff's ribs.

"Hey, stop that!" Jeff giggled

"You're in my bed."

"Hhmph." Jeff sulked

"'Night Jeffro."

"'Night Matty."

Matt fell asleep almost immediately. He dreamed that he was in the middle of the ring, face to face with Eric, of all people. It sounded like they were doing a promo, but the arena was totally empty.

"What do you want from me?" Matt asked

"I need a favor, Matt." The Eric-specter responded "I don't know how much you know about the afterlife, but apparently I can't just appear and disappear any time I want."

"You mean the bathroom?" Matt hoped that's what Eric was referring to.

"Yeah. I hope Jeff understands that I will always be with him, but I need your help." Eric sighed

"You know I'll do anything for him." Matt answered

"That's what I was hoping you'd say. Just take good care of him. I tried to, and look where it got me... this is my existence now." Eric waved at the vacant expanse.

"It wasn't your fault." Matt rebutted

"I know that, and you know that, but I guess it was just another black mark against me. It all adds up." Eric said "So you'll promise me?"

"I will." Matt said

"Thank-you Matt. I knew I could trust you... one more thing?"

"Anything, bro."

"Cool." Before Matt could otherwise change his mind, Eric hit him with the Twist of Fate. "I have always wanted to do that."

Matt hit the mat hard. And woke up on the floor. He'd fallen off the couch. It was morning, he had a headache, and a meeting at Titan in a few hours.

"Don't worry Eric. I keep my promises." Matt staggered to the bathroom. He hoped there was some aspirin handy. In Eric's medicine cabinet, he found a lot of weird stuff, but didn't want to think about why he had needed some of the things he saw.

"Aspirin, there we are." Matt dry-swallowed several of them. "Jeff? You awake?" He shouted down the hall.

"Yeah." Jeff sounded like he'd just awakened, probably by Matt's voice.

"We gotta hurry. You know Vince. He doesn't mind keeping us waiting, but he hates it if we're late." Matt wet his fingers and ran them through his hair, hoping that some of the parts that were sticking up would stay down.

"Jeff?" Matt shouted

"What?" Came a louder reply

"Ten minutes and then I'm leaving. If you ain't with me, I don't think Vince will be too happy." The implication was obvious. No Jeff meant no chance of Matt staying on Smackdown.

Matt went out and started the car. He had every intention of leaving without Jeff if he wasn't ready. With exactly one minute left, Jeff bounded out of the house.

"You like cutting it close, don't you?" Matt scolded

"I had to make sure Bunny was gonna be alright on her own." Jeff replied

Matt drove as fast as legally allowed, and sometimes faster. Traffic wise, it was okay, but they still had to make up a lot of ground in a short time.

"Whee!" Jeff threw his arms back like was on a roller coaster. "This is fun."

"Whatever, bro." Matt focused on the road. "I think we're gonna make it."

They did, pulling into the Titan parking lot with twelve minutes to spare.

"Ah, Matt and Jeff. Mr. McMahon left this for you." His secretary sanded them an envelope. Inside, in Vince's distinct scrawl was a message for them.

"Sorry, I'm not there to meet you, but I'm running a little late. Take a seat and I'll be there as soon as I can. I've taken the liberty of providing a few light snacks. Vince."

"This way please." They were escorted to Vince's office the second his secretary noticed that they had finished reading the note.

"If you need anything else, let me know." She said

"Coffee?" Matt asked

"How do you take it."

"One cream, one sugar." Matt replied

"Be right back."

"Did you want anything?" Matt asked Jeff, who seemed in awe of the plushness of the furnishings.

"Wow!" Jeff repeated over and over. "This is awesome! I want an office like this."

"Just take over the company and you will." Matt answered, then something came to him. "You've never been in here before?"

"Nope. I've only met with J.R. for contracts, suspensions, and shit." Jeff answered

"Here's coffee and a few refreshments while you wait." Laden with a tray, Vince's secretary returned. "I"ll be at my desk if there's anything else."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks." Jeff replied, still in awe.

"I think you've goggled enough. Sit down and eat your Skittles." Matt tossed two red packages to Jeff.

"Skittles... how did she know?" Jeff tore into the first bag.

"Who doesn't know... now don't spill any on the floor." Matt sipped his coffee, watching Jeff devour his favorite candy.

They waited on Vince. His secretary popped in from time to time to check on them, but by ten, Vince still hadn't shown up. In fact, it was almost eleven before he arrived.

"Matt... Jeff... I'm really sorry to have kept you this long, but I assume my secretary took care of you." He apologized "And I've got another meeting in an hour, so let's cut to it." They all took seats.

"I remember what you told me over the phone." He said "What exactly is the problem with splitting you two up. They're not gonna believe it if we just stop the feud, but you two are still on the same brand."

"I understand that, Mr. McMahon, but you know what Jeff has been through. If I go to Raw, Jeff will be left all alone. I'm the only thing between Jeff and Adam right now." Matt explained

"Please, Vince, don't make my Matty go away!" Jeff pleaded, tears coming to his eyes.

Like having a grown man cry in his office was a normal occurrence, Vince passed over a box of tissues.

"From a production standpoint, you have to understand something, personal feelings aside. It would make for a better show to have Adam and Jeff together." Vince stated

"I don't see how. Jeff still has that restraining order. Not that it helped the first time..." Matt interjected

"I forgot about that." Vince pressed his hands together. "I guess we will have to do something about that."

:"And if you're worried about our angles, we can do a kiss-and-make-up promo on the show." Matt replied

"Eeew! Do I hafta kiss you?" Jeff wrinkled his nose.

Vince rolled his eyes. "I knew I should've only hired one Hardy. Anyway, how about this idea. I keep all three of you on Smackdown until Backlash. We can arrange some sort of altercation there, followed by a loser gets drafted to ECW match on Smackdown the following week. Would that work?"

"If you can keep Adam away from Jeff until then." Matt replied

"Let me worry about Adam." Vince said "Do we have an agreement?"

"I think so." Matt replied "How do you feel bro?"

"My Matty gets to stay? Yay!" Jeff cheered

"Then we have an agreement." Matt answered "Thank-you for understanding, Mr. McMahon."

"I try. If there is anything else, let me know personally. I am going to be handling this myself from now on." Vince stood, an indication that the meeting was over. "I hate to rush you, but I do have a tight schedule."

Handshakes all around, and Matt and Jeff left the office. At least one of them was a lot happier now than he was before the meeting started.

...

That Friday night...

"Welcome to Smackdown! Four days after the annual draft, we are ready for a new beginning...

Jeff's theme song interrupted Jim Ross. "And it looks like we're gonna start it off with a bang."

Jeff entered, with a little more spring in his step today. Vince had made good on his promises. Matt was still on Smackdown (much to Creative's annoyance), and Adam hadn't been anywhere around. Jeff knew he was here, but so far, he hadn't made his presence known.

"It's been a hellacious couple of months for the Rainbow-Haired Enigma. Who knows what's gonna happen tonight?" J.R. shouted

"I guess you're all wondering why I'm here tonight." Jeff took the mic. "After that brutal stretcher match with my brother last week, a lot of people thought that maybe Jeff should just disappear... obviously he's not as good as Matt, he's not as talented as Matt, he's not as emotionally stable as Matt. Well I say crap to that! Jeff Hardy ain't going nowhere!"

The crowd exploded into cheers.

"So what if Matt has beaten me twice? Who cares? Today starts a new chapter in the saga that is Jeff Hardy..."

More cheers.

"And I'm sure all of you know what else has been going on in my life." Jeff lowered his voice. "I'll admit, it's been tough. I had seriously considered leaving the business. I even had my letter of resignation with me when I went to see Mr. McMahon earlier this week."

Jeff waved a creased sheet of paper in the air. It was actually his grocery list, but no one would be any the wiser. "Due to personal reasons, I , Jeffrey Nero Hardy, do hereby resign from World Wrestling Entertainment effective immediately..."

Boos.

"Then I started thinking. I am Jeffrey Nero Hardy, Goddammit, and I am not a quitter!"

The cheers began again.

"Actually, someone told me that over and over. I finally believed him. And before I go on, I want him to come out here so I can thank him..."

Jeff waited. So did the audience, wondering whom it could be.

"Oh yeah...."

The audience booed loudly.

"Nice promo Jeff." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I was almost touched. Why don't you tell these people the real truth. It had nothing to do with you and me, or even your dead boyfriend. You are a quitter, Jeff, and nothing is gonna change that." Matt smirked, walked down the ramp toward the ring. "I've beaten you twice before, and tonight I am gonna finish this."

"No matter how much you hurt me, I'll keep coming back, Matt. You know that!" Jeff waved at his brother to come on in and they'd finish it.

"Not this time, Jeff. Not this time." Matt shouted

"Well, what are you waiting for. Let's do it." Jeff pounded the mat anxiously.

Matt stepped through the ropes and stood right in front of his younger sibling, who was shaking.

"Come on Matt, you know you want to do it. Go ahead, hit me!"

Matt hesitated, his fist still at his side.

"It's my turn to get inside your head. Why not? Are you afraid? Come on, hit me!" Jeff screamed, closing his eyes against the eventual impact.

Matt swung at him, but to everyone's shock, came up short.

"What's wrong with you? Why won't you do it!" Jeff opened his one eye. "I'm giving it you, hell, I'm letting you do it!"

"I can't Jeff." Matt softly answered

"Why not?" Jeff shouted, his voice starting to croak.

"Because Jeff last night I made a promise to someone that I would take care of you..."

Jeff's jaw dropped.

"And I always keep my promises." Matt dropped the mic and embraced Jeff.

Staying in character just long enough to struggle when Matt first held him, Jeff soon returned the hug.

"Oh, oh, oh, that's great... now, all of a sudden you two are back in each other's arms... that's sick!" Adam walked out onto the ramp.

"Edge. What the hell are you doing here?" Matt shouted

"I came here tonight expecting to see the two of you beat the holy hell out of each other and what do I get... an episode of "Brotherly Love"... this is sick! If Vickie were here, she'd soon stop this." To at least one of the Hardy's horror, Adam began walking toward the ring.

"Stop right there! I still have a restraining order!" Jeff yelled

"So, who's gonna stop me?"

The opening bars of the Chairman's music answered Adam's question. Vince power-strode onto the stage.

"It appears to me that Smackdown isn't big enough for the three of you. I have been on the phone with my lawyers and since there is no clause in your contract that allows me to terminate you legally, despite what you have done recently. And everyone here knows what you've done recently, despite what twelve individuals say."

The fans started chanting "Guilty!"

"Therefore, tonight, in this very ring, I am booking a match. It will be Edge vs. Matt Hardy with the stipulation that the loser leaves Smackdown."

"Wow! That's a bombshell from our Chairman!" J.R. interjected "A loser leaves town match."

"With one added stipulation. If Matt wins, Edge will leave, but if Edge wins, both Hardy's will be gone. Oh, and one last thing, Edge, if you take one more step toward that ring, I will have you arrested on the spot! In answer to your question, I am gonna stop you!"

Edge looked from the ring, where the Hardy's stood to the ramp, where an irate Vince McMahon, now jacket-less, was waiting.

"Fine. I'll see you later Matt. Don't worry Jeff, I won't hurt your brother too much. Just enough so you don't recognize him when you're both back in Cameron watching me on Smackdown!" Edge taunted, throwing his mic into the ring. At the top, he pointed to Vince, who just waved him back while he grabbed his jacket from where he'd thrown it.

Matt and Adam continued to stare each other down until they went to commercial.

"Matty, is he serious? He's not gonna hurt you is he?" Jeff seemed worried. So was Matt, but he had a better handle on his emotions.

"Not if I can help it." Matt replied, his mouth set into a straight line. "He'll be the one who needs facial reconstruction."

"Oooh, Matty, you're so brave." Jeff hugged him.

"Just lookin' out for ya." Matt responded, hugging Jeff in return.

Matt and Adam did not meet to discuss their match beforehand. There was too much animosity between them. Instead, they each sent a representative to work it out. Matt sent Jeff and Adam sent Jay. Between the pair, they managed to put together a good outline for the contest. All of those TLC matches they'd had years ago made it a little easier. Once the rough draft was worked out, each Ambassador returned to his locker room.

"What the hell?" was Adam's reply. "Who came up with this finish?"

"Mr. McMahon." Jay answered "Don't worry, he said he'll see you after the show."

"What the fuck? Jeffro, what the hell is with this finish? Are you still pissed at me?"

"No. It's Vince's idea. He does wanna talk to us both afterward, thought." Jeff replied

"I hope he can explain this." Matt went over the sheet in his mind, hoping that Adam would try to stay professional. Visions of Summerslam floated in front of his eyes. And this time, the stakes were higher.

"This contest is the retirement match, scheduled for one fall." Lillian yelled loud enough for everyone, even those in the back, to hear. "Introducing first, from Toronto, Canada, weighing 241 pounds, Edge."

The crowd responded appropriately to Edge. He seemed to enjoy the reaction more than usual.

"And his opponent, from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing 232 pounds, Matt Hardy!"

A complete reversal of the reaction from the previous week. He was now being cheered by almost everyone.

"Never have the stakes been higher for a match." J.R. shouted over the din.

"That's right. After tonight, either Edge or the Hardy Boyz will no longer be appearing on Smackdown." Todd Grisham added.

Matt and Edge stared at each other, pure hate energy passing between them. Matt finally snapped, slapping Edge. Edge's head snapped back, but damn if he wasn't smiling when he once again looked at his foe.

Edge slapped Matt, then all hell broke loose. The match quickly degenerated into a hardcore match. The carefully worked out script went out the window around the same time Matt's head met a trashcan.

"I didn't think this was an extreme match." Todd said to J.R.

"Neither did I and apparently neither did Matt."

In the back area, Jeff and Jay watched.

"Did we plan this?" Jeff asked, playing with his tongue ring.

"I don't think so. Adam is definitely going in a different direction." Jay replied, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. On screen, Adam nailed Matt with a chair, bringing blood.

"Now I know we didn't set that up." Jay said. Jeff starting pacing nervously.

In the ring, Adam was clearly out of control, yet referee Jack Doan could not, in good conscience, throw the match out. He didn't want to face Adam's wrath if he disqualified him.

"Hey, Hardy!" Adam grabbed a mic. "Yeah, I'm talking to you Jeff. Unless you want me to beat your brother into a bloody pulp, you'll get your ass out here right now, restraining order or no restraining order!"

Jeff continued to pace backstage. He didn't know what to do.

"I'm waiting." Adam shouted "Let me help you make up your mind." He pulled a set of handcuffs from his tights and bound Matt to the top rope. "You have until I count to ten."

"One... two... three..."

"Addy, please don't." Jeff whispered

"four... five... six..."

"Let me handle this." Finally, a friendly voice.

"seven... eight..."

At eight, Adam's count was interrupted.

"Thank God. It's Jericho!" J.R., now completely hoarse, croaked.

"nine... ten!" Adam swung at Matt's face before Chris could get to the ring.

In horror, Jeff watched his brother's face shatter, much like Joey Mercury's had done. Blood fountained from Matt's broken nose, his mouth, and his forehead, completely covering his face.

Y2J got into the ring a second later and attacked Edge like a man possessed. Even the chair he held could not protect him from the wrath of the man from Massachusetts. Not one, not two, but three Codebreakers later, and Adam was groggy on the canvas.

"Somebody get me some ****in help out here!" He roared

The staff trainers and medical personnel, stretcher in hand, made their way to the ring, followed closely by WWE road agents. While Adam was taken from the ring by the WWE employees, Matt was attended to by the doctors.

In a display of his strength, Jericho, single-handed, snapped the cuffs keeping Matt attached to the top rope. He immediately fell, mercifully he was out of it.

Behind the scenes...

"Chickenshit!" Adam yelled at Jeff as he passed. "I knew you didn't have the guts. I hope you enjoyed what I did to him, 'coz you're next." Adam was shoved into one of the offices and the door slammed.

"Matty." Jeff wept.

"Adam's gone. Go to him."

Jeff looked up to see who had spoken, but there was no one near enough. He ran down the aisle and to the ring, where Matt had just been loaded onto a backboard.

"Stay back, son." In his urgency, the medic didn't realize who he was.

"He's my brother." Jeff pleaded "I need to be with him."

"Let us get him on the stretcher first, okay?"

Jeff waited anxiously. It seemed to take forever to stabilize Matt. Blood was still flowing freely from his face. Finally, he was placed on the stretcher.

"Thank God he's unconscious." Jeff heard one of the medics whisper. "There's some serious damage."

"Matty." Jeff sobbed, grabbing his brother's hand.

"Let's move."

Matt was slowly wheeled up the ramp, while the arena clapped slowly, as if that would revive him. When they passed the door to the offices, Jeff wished he could be a fly on the wall for whatever Mr. McMahon and Edge were talking about. He could hear loud voices, but couldn't make out individual words.

"You comin', son?" Jeff realized they were waiting for him. He didn't need any more encouragement, jumping into the back of the ambulance. It took off, sirens blaring, which thankfully drowned out the sounds of the argument from within the office of Vince McMahon.

"Adam, just what the hell has gotten into you?" Vince pounded his desk angrily.

"Can I explain?"

"No, you cannot! It was a rhetorical question! As if killing one of your coworkers wasn't bad enough... don't give me that jury of your peers crap, I don't believe that you are innocent any more than I believe in the Tooth Fairy, now you put Matt in the hospital! Just what is going on in that head of yours?" Vince's face had gone beet red from the force of his exaltation's. "Now, if you can come up with an explanation for your actions and why I shouldn't throw you back to the wolves, now would be a good time to say so!"

"I love Jeff." Adam said softly

"I know that... we all know that, but that still doesn't account for it."

"It's just that I can't stand to see him happy with anyone else." Adam responded

"Okay, that covers Eric, but why Matt... those two are blood related for Christ's sake! Did you think that you were competing with Matt?"

"I dunno, sir. It's just that when those two are together, it seems like maybe there is something between them. Sometimes, when I see them celebrate in the ring after a match, it looks like something more than just brothers."

"What are you saying... Matt and Jeff are a couple?" Vince refused to believe what his young superstar was tying to tell him. "That there's been... Hardycest going on under my nose!"

"Maybe I'm seeing stuff that ain't there, but how do you think I feel? I can't control myself any longer! It's like when I see Jeff with anyone else, the part of me that is Adam Copeland shuts off and the Edge part of me takes over... I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't help it anymore..." Adam broke down, sobbing into his hands.

Vince was stunned into silence.

"Adam, if you need help, we can help you... but you gotta be straight with me..."

"I am!" Adam wailed

"And no one else knows?" Vince asked

Adam shook his head, wiping the tears from his face with his arm. "No one." He sniffled

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?" Vince asked, then he answered his own question. "It's because of Randy, right." Orton's anger problems were well-known to the other wrestlers, as had been Vince's response.

"Adam, listen to me." Vince walked around his desk, and leaned against the front of it, facing him. "If you need help, I guarantee that you'll get it." He gripped Adam's shoulder for emphasis. "But you've got to want it... do you want help?"

"Yes, Vince, I do. I hate not being myself." Adam whimpered

"Then Adam, consider it done. Now Brisco will drive you back to your hotel and we will discuss this further tomorrow, okay."

"Thank-you, Mr. McMahon." Adam wiped his eyes one last time and followed Gerald Brisco back to the locker room. The other guys, assuming that he'd been fired, gave Adam wide passage. After quickly changing into his street clothes, he got into Brisco's car and was driven back to the hotel.

"You need help getting into your room, kid?" Even though he was 35, Brisco still called everyone kid.

"I'm fine." Adam sighed. It felt like a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders.

"Good. Don't worry. If Vince said he'll help you, then he will."

Adam staggered into his room, knowing that he was going to break down the second he got there and not caring the least. He threw himself onto his bed, sobbing fiercely as the implications of what he'd done recently hit him and hit him hard. He scrambled in his luggage for something to calm him. He found it right at the bottom: a picture of he, Jay, Matt, and Jeff, taken by Mick Foley after one of their TLC matches. Ironically, Adam and Jeff were in the middle, arms around each other, cheesy grins on their faces.

Adam rolled over on the bed, looking tenderly at the picture. This was his own little secret. Much like Jeff had Bunny, Adam had this. A long time ago, he'd drawn a heart around the two of them.

"Jeff, I'm sorry." He clutched the photo to his chest and closed his eyes, willing the tears not to flow again, but they did and Adam ended up crying himself to sleep, praying that now that Vince knew, this nightmare may finally come to an end.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Can Edge get the help he needs before it's too late? Tune in to find out!_


	2. Chapter 2

All You Need is Love

As one nightmare was ending, another one was beginning. Facial surgery was scheduled for Matt stat.

"What do we have, nurse?"

"Patient, 34 year old male, presented with sever facial trauma. Nasal bone shattered, as well as damage to the soft and hard palates. Left eye socket and cheekbone broken, with bleeding into the orbital cavity. Dislocation of mandible, on the left side. Three teeth missing, possibly swallowed. Unconscious at the scene, unable to revive in transit. Oxygen at 94 percent on room air. One liter IV antibiotics adminitered en route as well as one unit o-positive. No response to pain."

(A/N: I have put some of it into layman's terms so I don't confuse anyone, especially myself!)

"Thank-you. Let's see what we have?" Gingerly, the doctor removed the towel that had been covering Matt's face. "Do we know what caused this?"

"According to the patient's brother, he was hit in the face by a chair."

"A chair?" The doctor repeated, anxiously scanning the chart.

"Yessir. The patient is employed by World Wrestling Entertainment." The nurse responded "I thought you would've recognized the name."

The doctor flipped back to page one. "Hardy, Matthew Moore." He read "Someone must've goofed."

"The way I heard it, his opponent had a real problem with him. Apparently this wasn't scripted." The nurse answered

"Get me four units type-specific and get him into X-Ray immediately. We'd like to know what we're working with. I'll need a reconstruction team stat and nurse, could you go talk to his next-of-kin."

"His brother rode in with the ambulance. I've already sent someone to do the pre-op interview."

"Excellent. Don't worry, Son, we'll have you back to your handsome self in no time." Even though Matt was out cold, a few words of encouragement were always welcome.

...

"I'm looking for the family of Matt Hardy." An orderly shouted

Jeff's head popped up. "Right here."

"Could you follow me, please?" Jeff was lead into admitting. "Normally, we'd get all this from the patient, but since he is unable to, could you help us out with some information?"

"Sure."

"Take a seat."

"When can I see him?" Jeff asked

"He's up getting his pre-op work done. If there's time, maybe you can see him before he goes under." The nurse behind the desk said. "Thank-you orderly."

"Do you know if you're brother is allergic to any medications, or anything like latex?"

"No."

"Is he taking prescription drugs right now?"

"Nothing except aspirin." Jeff replied

"Do you know what he's taking that for?"

"Dunno." Jeff looked down. Discussing Matt like this wasn't fun, and the nurse knew it.

"Just a few more questions and then I'll see about getting you in to see him." She smiled

Jeff lightened up.

"Any history of heart disease, or stroke, in your family?"

"Not that I know of. Our Mom died from a brain tumor, but that was a long time ago." Jeff answered

"Okay... just one more thing... do you know if Matthew has signed a DNR?"

"DNR? What's that?"

"Do not resuscitate. It just says that he doesn't want to be kept alive by artificial means and that no heroic attempts should be made to save him."

"I don't know." Jeff sighed but he suspected that Matt had. They'd discussed just this scenario many years ago and Jeff, in one of his invincible moods, had not gone that far, but had signed power of attorney to Matt and vice-versa. "But I do have power of attorney."

"Okay. I'll get an orderly to take you upstairs. I'm sure we can get you in for a minute of two. It usually takes a while to get the trauma team assembled." She pressed her intercom. "Orderly to admitting... orderly to admitting stat."

"If you could just wait in chairs, it won't be too long."

Jeff sat down and tried to think. How the hell could things have gone this badly so quickly. Just three hours ago, everything was perfect. He and Matt were still together, Adam was on the way out, and everything else was falling into place. Now this!

"Hey, man." A voice Jeff hadn't expected to hear reached his ears.

"Hey, Randy." Jeff replied. Randy Orton was one of the last people he wanted to talk to right then, but Jeff was going to be civil, despite everything.

"I heard what went down and got here as fast as I could." Randy sat beside Jeff. There was silence while Randy debated with himself if he should say anything or not.

"Y'know, I haven't known Adam for quite as long as you have, but..."

"But what... don't try to defend him, Orton! He killed my boyfriend, and he damn near took out Matt! If that's his way of showing me that he loves me..."

"Whoa, Hardy! I'm not trying to defend him. Hell, I don't think I could even if I wanted to. What I was going to say is I haven't know him for as long as you have, but this is totally out of character for him. That's one of the reasons I asked to break up Team Rated RKO. Adam was having problems separating himself from Edge. He'd get into these dark moods sometimes, and it was like talking to someone else. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Randy responded

"Are you trying to tell me Adam's schitzo?" Jeff asked

"I dunno. I'm not a shrink. But it's the only conclusion I can come to. Jeff, think of it this way. What rational person would do something like this and still think he'd have a chance with you? The thing with Eric aside, unless there is something going on with you and Matt, why the hell should Adam feel threatened by him?" Randy answered

"I dunno. Maybe he just hates my family in general." Jeff returned to looking at his boots. He hadn't changed at the arena.

"Just think about it, okay Jeff? I don't want to lose you as a friend as well." Randy answered, rubbing Jeff's neck.

"A friend? What do you mean?" Jeff asked. Was everyone in the damn company trying to get into his pants?

"You know how I feel about homos, but that doesn't stop me from being around them. I can't stand to see someone I care about hurt this bad, no matter what their lifestyle." Randy moved his hand to hug Jeff. "Plus, Jericho told me everything." He whispered into Jeff's ear.

"Everything?" Jeff's eyes widened.

"Well, not everything." Randy answered "But enough to know that what you need right now is support and space. I'm here, as are a lot of people. Did you know that Cena almost totalled an office when he heard that Vince was planning to send Matt over?"

"He what?" Jeff blinked away the tears that were forming anew.

"Yeah, so you do have a lot of friends that are willing to look out for you, if you need it. Just don't do anything crazy and don't think you're all alone, 'coz you ain't." Randy smiled, a sincere smile, not the "I'm gonna punt someone's head in" kind of smile he usually wore. "I hate to comfort and run, but I gotta get on a plane. Today was my travel day. I've got a house show in Tampa tomorrow and you know Vince... If anyone is late, it's one thousand into the Christmas party fund."

Randy stood. "Remember, you need anything, you know where to find me." He patted Jeff's hair and then left.

"Mr. Hardy... you can go up now!" A young blond man in hospital scrubs had appeared in the waiting area.

"I can see him?" Jeff heart fluttered

"If you'll follow me please." Jeff was lead to an elevator.

...

"Here we are." On the other side of town, a car driven by none other than Vince McMahon's personal chauffeur pulled up to another hospital. Adam and Jay both stepped out.

"Just go to admitting, they are expecting you." The driver tipped his cap and drove away.

Adam stared at the huge building in front of him. When Vince said he'd help, Adam didn't think he meant immediately. No sooner had he gotten changed in his hotel room, then Vince had called, telling him he'd made two appointments for him. One was to a renowned psychiatrist who specialized in patients suffering from schizophrenia and the second was at a local hospital where he would get an MRI as part of his pre-consult work-up. Grateful for the help, Adam didn't stop to complain about how much he hated MRI's.

"Uh, Jay... thanks for coming with me." Adam said. For now, he'd tucked "Edge" away. This was becoming harder and harder to do.

"Adam, I've been by your side ever since sixth grade when you saved me from those bullies. I'm not deserting you right now." Even though he'd witnessed the same events that everyone else had, Jay found that he could not shut out one of the few friends he'd managed to hang on to. The life of a professional wrestler made it difficult to keep relationships, so those that could withstand the day to day pressures of the trade were not something to throw away easily.

"Why me? No one else in my family has ever had this problem?" Adam sighed

"But no one else in your family has to live a double life." Jay answered "I knew there might be a problem when I read your book and you said something like you'd answer to Edge as much as you answer to Adam."

"Yeah, a lot of guys do." Adam answered

"Actually, you're wrong. As soon as the cameras are off, most of the guys put their characters in their travel bags until the next show. Take me, for example, how often have you seen me answer to Christian when I'm not performing or doing appearances?" Jay answered "It's the only way I keep my sanity... sorry, bad choice of words, but you know what I mean, right. So let's take care of this and get the old Adam back..."

"Okay." Adam barreled through the door. Jay followed a moment later.

"...because this new Adam scares the crap out of me."

...

"I will warn you. He's under heavy sedation. We're just waiting for the trauma surgeons so we can move him."

Jeff nodded. He could see his brother's feet through the window.

"Whenever you want. I'll be outside."

Jeff swallowed nervously, then pushed into the room. He went up to the head of the gurney and stared into what used to be his brother's face. He cringed. Matt was unrecognizable, even with some of the blood mopped away. It looked like his face had been taken off, put through a meat grinder, then slapped back on the front of his head, but all injuries look worse than they really are.

"Matty.." Even though he knew Matt was unable to hear him, Jeff still felt a little better talking to him. What to say next, though, wasn't coming to him.

"Matty, you're gonna be okay. They've got the best people to fix you up." Jeff knelt beside him, holding onto his hand for comfort.

"Sir, we have to move him now." Jeff's short visit was interrupted.

"I understand. Remember I love you and I need you." He kissed Matt's hand gently, then set it back on the stretcher. Jeff was allowed to follow them right to the operating room, but no further.

Hopelessly depressed, Jeff returned to the waiting room. He was even more depressed when he saw that the vending machine was out of Skittles, so he decided to find the nearest twenty-four hour convenience store and buy some. Candy always made him feel better.

As he was leaving that hospital, Adam was leaving the one on the other side of town, the MRI's having been completed relatively quickly.

"I have my first meeting with doctor Strohm tomorrow morning at eight." Adam looked at the appointment card he'd been given. "I guess I'd better grab dinner then get some sleep."

"You wanna stop someplace?" Jay looked around for a taxi.

"Nah, I'm sure I can find a store or something." Adam answered

"Okay... dude, I'll come with? I'm a little hungry myself." Jay offered "Unless you don't want the company..."

"Company's cool." Adam answered

"Awesome." They set out in the semi-warm spring evening to find the nearest location wherewithin they could purchase foodstuffs. It was only a couple blocks before they found one such location, fortunately, but it was unfortunate that this was only one of two places like this in the whole damn town. So, really unfortunately, guess who happened to walk in why they were grabbing things?

"Fuck." Jay mumbled, thankfully seeing Jeff before Adam did.

"What... oh crap." Adam saw Jeff a moment later, when he turned to look at Jay. "Maybe if we duck down, he won't see us?"

"We're screwed, dude." Jay responded

"What do you... oh, hey Jeff." He'd made a beeline for the pair the second he recognized them. In hindsight, not the smartest move given his stress level, but Jeff was known to go on adrenaline at times, and this was one of those instances.

"You son of a bitch! You callous bastard!" Jeff spoke in a low, fierce voice. He was pissed off, but he was not up to causing a scene in a convenience store at two in the morning.

"Jeff, I..." Adam wondered if maybe explaining things might help, assuming that Jeff would believe him. Looking at Jeff, however, his excuse died in his throat.

"What the hell did I ever do to you to deserve this?" Jeff demanded, his voice rising slightly.

"Jeff, maybe you should hear Adam before you go jumping to any conclusions..." Jay interjected

"You stay the fuck out of this." With each passing minute, Jeff's self-control was disappearing.

Jay stood back. Seeing Jeff in this kind of angst was not unexpected, but not a situation he wanted to get involved with. "Adam, let's pay for our stuff and go."

"Jeff, I would apologize for what I've done, but I got a pretty good idea that you wouldn't believe me if I did..."

"Fuckin' A, Copeland." Jeff spat

"C'mon, Adam, let's go." Jay pulled him toward the checkout. Jeff stood in his spot, watching them leave the store. Once they were safely outside, Jeff finally forced himself to relax. Suddenly, even Skittles didn't seem important.

He ran out of the store, but Jay and Adam were already gone.

"Fuck!" He screamed so loudly, the customers who were still in the store turned to look at him. He didn't care. He ran blindly down the street, turning into a deserted alleyway. He leaned against the wall, pulling his phone from its cradle. He quickly dialed a number.

"Randy, I need you..." He whispered "Where are you?"

"I'm still at my hotel. Where are you?"

Jeff told him.

"I'll come get you." Randy offered

"I'm only a few blocks away." Jeff answered "I'm on my way there."

Jeff ran. He made it into the hotel and found Randy's room. He was shaking uncontrollably as he ran up the stairs to the seventh floor and down the corridor to room 707. He knocked. Randy opened the door a second later.

"Jeff... what is it?"

Jeff took two steps into the room and lost it, sobbing heavily.

Randy closed the door, and took the distraught wrestler into his arms. "I told you I would be here for you. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Jeff continued to cry. Randy stroked his hair, like he would if it was his wife in his arms. "Shhh, Jeff. Come sit down." He walked him to one of the beds and sat, pulling Jeff beside him. "What happened?"

Through tears, Jeff told Randy everything that had happened since earlier that night, ending with the escapade in the store.

"You did the right thing, letting him leave. You have enough to worry about, without having an assault charge on top."

"But I wanted to, Randy... I wanted to kill him right in the middle of that fuckin' store!" Jeff shouted

"An eye for an eye doesn't always work, man." Randy answered

"I'm just so frustrated right now." Jeff hiccuped "I can't get away from Adam no matter what it seems like."

"Well, if you want to stay away from him for a while, you can stay with me tonight." Randy indicated the other bed. "I've got the room until nine."

"I was gonna go back to the hospital..." Jeff replied

"How is Matt?" Randy asked and immediately regretted it.

"Not good." The memories of his brother's beaten form brought a fresh bout of emotion from Jeff, who buried his face in Randy's shirt.

"You're staying here tonight, no excuses." Randy stated "I'll drive you to the hospital tomorrow on my way out of town."

"Randy, I can't... I don't have any of my gear with me..." Jeff responded

"I know, but I figured this would happen, so I took the liberty of stopping by your place and getting something." He gently handed Jeff a small furry object.

"Bunny!" Jeff squeezed it. "How did you...?"

"Eric's neighbors are very trusting people. I told them you'd forgotten something and needed it for your next road trip." Randy smiled "And there was no way I was giving up my Cuddles." He pointed to where a brown teddy bear lay.

Jeff squealed and immediately reached for the stuffed toy.

"Hey, what are you..."

"Bunny, this is Cuddles...Cuddles, Bunny. Now Bunny, be nice to Cuddles while we're here, okay."

Randy smiled. He knew how bad Jeff was hurting and anything that brought a smile to his face, like introducing his rabbit to his teddy bear, was a good thing.

"So, Jeff, since you are staying, you are welcome to do whatever, but I gotta get some sleep." Randy began undressing for bed.

He didn't care that Jeff just sat on the bed while he disrobed. He'd done it in the locker room hundreds of times. Once he was in his pajamas, he climbed into his bed.

"Uh, Jeff, can I have my Cuddles back please?"

Jeff, with exquisite tenderness, placed Cuddles into Randy's waiting arms. "Thank-you, Randy..." He surprised Randy with a small kiss on the forehead.

"What was that for?" Randy was unaccustomed to being kissed by men. He was one of the few guys in the locker room who had never even thought of straying from his marriage, no matter how horny he was, neither did it matter that he had one of the hottest dudes in the WWE sharing his hotel room.

"For being my friend." Jeff patted Cuddles on the head.

"Jeff, I told you... we're all your friends. You just have to remember that." Randy snuggled with his bear. "Are you gonna crash too?" Jeff had just started to remove his shoes.

"Yeah, I wanna be at the hospital early." Jeff answered

For what reason he didn't know why, Randy watched Jeff get ready for bed, much like Jeff had watched him. He learned one thing... Jeff slept in the nude.

"Night, Rainbow." Randy rolled over and closed his eyes.

"Night, Legend-Killer." Jeff responded, turning off the light and climbing into his own bed. Soon they were both asleep, at least one of them dreaming of better days.

...

Adam and Jay had also returned to their hotel, but all thoughts of food were long gone. I guess running into Jeff made both of them lose their appetites.

'I'm goin' to bed." Adam announced

"I guess I am too, then." The room had only one double bed, and Adam was a light sleeper.

Once safely under the covers, and unlike certain other persons without the aid of inanimate stuffed objects, Jay started to drift off. He was in that nice little state between awake and asleep when he thought that he heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the bed. He opened his one eye and listened carefully. Just as he figured it was his mind playing a trick on him, he heard it again.

"Adam, you okay?"

Adam turned to look at Jay. In the moonlight, Jay could see the moistness in his eyes.

"C'mere, dude." Jay had no uneasy feelings about holding Adam. He wrapped himself around his 'brother' in a spooning position, and whispered softly to him.

"You're gonna be fine. Just tell me what you need me to do?" He was not prepared for the answer.

"Love me, Jay." Adam sighed "Make this all go away."

"You know I would do anything for you, but you know I can't love you that way." Jay responded

"Jay I want to forget about Jeff." Adam whispered "Even for a moment."

"Adam, I..."

"Please, Jay, just this once." Adam stroked the side of Jay's face. His touch was surprisingly gentle along his week-old stubble.

Jay sighed. Dammit, why does anything have to be so complicated.

"Okay Adam, just this once. But you know I've never done anything like this before." Jay answered

Adam turned around to face Jay. "Thank-you." He kissed Jay deeply. To Adam, it was almost like he was releasing all of his held in emotions with that one kiss, and he had to tell himself to take it easy. This was his friend, not a cheap whore. To Jay, it wasn't much different than kissing a girl, and he responded to the kiss like any other from a hot blonde.

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" Adam asked, feeling a telltale poke in his belly.

"What d'you mean, dude. Of course I haven't." Jay answered

"Part of you is lying." Adam pointed to the tent in Jay's underwear.

"Oh that thing? It has a habit of popping up at the worst possible moments." Jay smirked

"I know. I saw your last match with Swagger." Adam dove in for another kiss and a quick grope.

Jay gasped at the feel of someone else's fingers near his swollen member. It had been a while, girl or otherwise.

Adam kissed down Jay's chest, feeling small pricks from his chest hair. Jay started to moan with each successive kiss, trailing down his chest, to his abs, to his navel, and then to his shorts, then back up.

"Wanna see what else I can do with my mouth?" Adam asked, teasing Jay's right nipple with his fingers. He never bothered to wait for an answer, instead he freed Jay's cock from it's cloth prison and swallowed it before you could say "Unprettier".

"Adam... oh man..." He was buried to the hilt in Adam's mouth. Adam pulled back, until only the head was still inside, and then plunged down to the base again. He repeated this several times until Jay was throbbing so hard it felt like it was going to break.

"Fuck me, Jay." Adam whispered, his tongue having found it's way to another one of Jay's sensitive spots: his earlobe.

"Adam, I..."

"Don't worry. I'll do all the work." Adam threw the covers back and reached into his bag. He pulled out a small square packet and rolled the condom onto Jay's dick, which still quivered visibly.

"But Adam... won't this hurt?" Jay asked, concerned. Adam hadn't bothered with lube.

"I want it to." Adam replied "Make me forget." He quickly stripped and sat down, stuffing himself with Jay's erection.

"Okay, Adam, I'll try." Jay started pumping in and out of Adam, while Adam started riding Jay. Their hips collided together like two pistons, over and over. It was only a matter of time before Jay felt his orgasm coming like a freight train.

"I'm coming dude." Jay said

"Me too." Adam added

They slammed together a few more times before Adam felt Jay's shoot, filling the condom.

"Keep going." He begged "I'm almost there."

Jay continued to pump inside of Adam until he blew his wad. Like a bottle rocket, it left his dick with such force that it splattered against the overhead light.

"Oh, fuck, Jay, that was incredible." Adam said

"Dude, that was awesome." Jay answered

They lay beside each other, staring at the splatters above them.

"Do we have to clean that up or will housekeeping do it?" Jay wondered aloud.

Adam didn't answer. He was quite content to stay right where he was. He could almost be happy right now, if he could only find a way to make "just this once" become "forever." Eventually, they both fell asleep in each others' arms.

...

Across town, it was the exact opposite. Both wrestlers had fallen asleep almost right away, and neither one of them ended up in the other's bed, much less exchanging bodily fluids.

Jeff woke first, the strange surroundings momentarily startling him. The bedside clock told him that he'd slept much later than planned. He tiptoed around the room, getting dressed in silence.

Not wanting to scare Randy, Jeff quickly wrote a note for when he did wake up.

"Randy, It's almost eight-thirty and I gotta get to the hospital to see how Matt's doing. Thanks for the room, and everything else. If I don't see you anytime soon, then I will catch up with you at Backlash. You've been a real friend and I love you... Jeff."

He left the note on his pillow and snuck out of the room. Compared to the warmth of the previous night, that morning was downright chilly. He zipped his hoodie all the way up, tucking Bunny safely into one of the pockets. Jogging the half-mile to the hospital in the hopes that it would warm him up, at least a little, Jeff arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes before visiting hours started.

"You're back." The admissions lady must've just gotten off shift. She was waiting in the entrance bay.

"You done for the night?" Jeff guessed

"Uh-huh."

"Anything on my brother?" Jeff asked

"Not that I'm aware of, but don't worry your little head over it." She patted Jeff's arm. "I always believe that no news is good news."

Armed with this bit of information, Jeff did indeed feel a little more confident as he approached the admitting desk.

"I need some info on a patient that went in for surgery early this morning..."

"Hardy, right?"

"How did you...?"

"I watch WWE every week." She replied "Come with me."

Once again, Jeff was escorted upstairs.

"Could you take Mr. Hardy into recovery to see his brother." She announced to the lady working reception.

"Right away. Follow me please."

While they walked down the corridor, Jeff plied her for details about Matt.

"All I know is that he came out of surgery maybe thirty minutes ago. He's still not awake. Any other information you'll have to ask the doctor."

"Did you see him? How does he look?" Jeff asked, hoping she wouldn't say that he going to be disfigured.

"Very swollen, but otherwise not bad. The surgical team did a real good job."

Jeff said a quiet prayer of thanks.

"Anything else you need, just have one of the nurses paged."

"Thank-you." Jeff swallowed nervously, stepping into the room. This time, he reminded himself, you are not leaving the room for any reason.

Matt was sleeping soundly in the near bed. As the nurse had forewarned him, there was indeed a lot of swelling, but not so much that he couldn't recognize him.

"Matty." Jeff whispered, clutching his brother's hand in his own. "I'm so glad you're gonna be okay."

"Mmm..." Matt groaned, the anesthetic just starting to wear off.

"Don't try to talk too much."

"Jeff?" Matt opened his eye a little. The other was still swollen closed. "What happened? Where am I?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when you're better." Being careful not to touch Matt's recently reconstructed face, Jeff hugged him. "I was so scared I was gonna lose you too."

"I made a promise, remember." Matt whispered "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you."

"I know, Matty, I know..." Jeff sighed into Matt's chest.

"So what happened?" Matt repeated

"Adam did this to you." Jeff answered

"What?" Matt barked "What do you mean?"

"Shhh... I've got it all figured out. Don't worry... I'm going to make Adam pay for this the only way I know how... with his blood."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Jeffro's on the warpath now... is Adam safe? Is anyone? _


	3. Chapter 3

Stone Cold Crazy

"Mr. Copeland... Dr. Strohm will see you now."

Adam looked up from the magazine that he had been trying to read for the past half hour. Like much of the decor in the waiting room, it was outdated. He exhaled noisily.

"Don't worry." Jay patted his arm. "I'll pick you up in an hour."

"This way please." Adam followed the receptionist into one of the offices. Derek Strohm, PHD. was etched on the glass in black lettering.

"The doctor will be with you shortly. Just take a seat."

Adam looked around. There were two chairs sitting in front of an ornate oak desk as well as the required couch against a far wall. Adam sat in front of the desk, hoping that the couch wasn't going to be needed.

He whittled the time reading the diplomas on the wall. Dr. Strohm had graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1996 from UCLA, and had received his doctorate from the same school three years later. While this didn't make him feel any less nervous, it did help to know that he wasn't dealing with a quack.

"Sorry I'm a touch late, Mr. Copeland. My wife was being unreasonable this morning." Adam jumped when he heard the voice.

"I see you found the place alright. Have a seat and we'll begin."

While he spoke, Adam sized up the doctor. He was expecting someone who looked like Albert Einstein or the guy from the "She Blinded Me With Science" music video. He was neither. He didn't look much older than Adam and was dressed a lot more casually as well.

"I have read your file as well as gone over the MRI's that were done. The good news is there is not anything physically wrong with you, in the sense that your disorder is not caused by a blockage or any sort of tumor. I hope that is a relief to you."

"Sorta." Adam replied "It's nice to know that I'm not gonna die any time soon."

Strohm nodded. "So, what we are going to do today is just talk. This is our first session and what I am hoping to get is mostly background information so that I may accurately assess you. I assure that nothing you tell me will be repeated outside these walls to anyone unless you give me permission."

Adam nodded

"Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"Do I have to lie down on the couch?"

Strohm laughed. "Absolutely not. The couch came with the office and I haven't found anything better to put there. If you are more comfortable talking like this, I have no problems."

Adam relaxed, sliding in the chair.

"So, you work for World Wrestling Entertainment... what is that like?"

"It's what I'd always wanted to do ever since I saw Hulk Hogan on television." Adam replied

"I see. You've been with them for many years, so I assume you enjoy your work..."

"To a point... the stress level can sometimes get to me." Adam answered

"How do you cope with this stress?" Strohm asked

"The same way we all do. Long baths, have a few drinks with the guys, work out."

"Did that seem to help?"

"At first, yes, but lately It has been getting harder to relax." Adam answered, his nervousness starting to show.

"From reading your file, I understand that you have been having troubles separating yourself, Adam, from your character, Edge. Do you know when this started?" Strohm was writing as fast as Adam was talking.

"Maybe six months ago." Adam shrugged "I mean, after a while, almost all of us answer to our character's names as much as we do to our real ones, it's no big thing. Especially when dealing with the fans, but lately it's been harder to find Adam in here." He tapped his cranium.

"How would you characterize Edge, mentally?"

"Very intense." Adam answered "He's always been an angry person. He vents a lot."

"And Adam... what's he like?"

"Usually a really caring, nice guy. Always willing to do whatever for a friend..."

"So basically, Edge is the polar opposite of Adam, am I understanding you?" Strohm wrote something else down on his pad.

"I guess. I've never really bothered comparing the two. I've been so busy trying to push Edge out of my mind that I never really stopped to think about it." Adam answered

"I may have to talk to this Edge sometime. Would it be possible?" Strohm queried

"I don't see why. He shows up a lot when I don't want him to." Adam answered

"Okay, what is your relationship with Jeffrey Hardy?"

Adam took a deep breath. "I'm in love with him, doc. I want him with every fiber of my being. Just being around him makes me want to do things to him." Adam answered "Do you want specifics?" He blushed

"No, I assume you mean sexually."

The blush darkened.

"I'm not here to judge. I have counselled wrestlers in the past and being away from their wives and other loved ones puts a constant strain on them and many are forced to find solace elsewhere." Strohm replied "How long have you been in love with him?"

Adam thought long and hard about it. "I don't know. I can't remember ever not wanting him in my life."

"Fair enough. Just for the record, how would you classify your sexuality?"

"I guess you'd have to say I'm bisexual." Adam answered, remembering his most recent encounter.

"Would you say you've had more relationships with male or female lovers in your life?"

"Female." Adam replied immediately.

"So, it has been only recently that this love for Jeffrey has invaded your life, correct?" Strohm doodled some more.

"I guess so." Adam answered

"Did you ever tell Jeffrey of your feelings for him?"

"No." Adam stated

"And why not?"

"I thought I would us both good by keeping things to myself. But apparently, I sucked at it. The entire locker room could tell, from what people have said to me."

"How did you feel when Jeffrey started seeing someone else?"

"I thought I could handle it." Adam answered "But I guess I was wrong."

"And what about Edge? How did he feel?" Strohm queried

Adam sat in silence for a moment. What was his character's mind frame...? He tried to recall the story lines back then. "I'd have to say he was really angry around that time. I guess that's when he started to take over."

"In what way?"

"I don't think he liked the fact that Jeff was so open about his relationship." Adam replied

"That's a possibility." Strohm interjected "Continue."

"But the more I thought about Jeff, the more Edge kept trying to control me. It was as if he didn't want me to be happy." A tear rolled down his cheek. Strohm passed over a box of tissues.

"What about Edge's sexuality? How would you describe it?" Strohm seemed to perk up. Did he have an idea?

"Absolutely straight." Adam responded, or was it Edge talking?

Strohm straightened up. "Is this Adam I am still talking to?"

"No it's Edge." It looked like Adam, it was Adam's voice, but it wasn't Adam talking, that was for sure.

"I'm glad you joined us, Edge. I was going to ask to speak to you at a later date, but I guess now will be fine." Strohm turned to a clean sheet of paper. "Nothing you say to me will be..."

"Yeah, I heard what you said to Adam." Edge responded "Now what the fuck do you want?"

"You just told me that you are absolutely straight, I believe were your words."

"Yeah. I have a dick. The person I'm with shouldn't." Edge responded. His body language told Strohm that this was indeed another personality. He might have to tread lightly with some of the questioning.

"So, what are your feelings about Jeffrey Hardy?"

"You really wanna know? I think fags shouldn't be allowed to flaunt themselves in front of normal people..."

"Straight people, in other words?" Strohm clarified

"Finally, someone who agrees with me."

"I understand your position. I didn't say I agreed with it. I am just a neutral observer." Strohm smirked "So, you have a problem with all homosexuals in general, not just this particular one. How long have you known that Adam was interested in Jeff in this fashion?"

"A lot longer than Adam, apparently." Edge answered

"And you felt that you had to put a stop to this?"

"Yeah. Adam should be with a woman. That's the way it was meant to be." Edge answered "So, I went started asserting myself a lot more when it came to women."

"Lita?" Strohm asked

"A perfect example." Edge leaned back in the chair, smugly staring at the doctor. "She was attractive, intelligent, and really good in bed, from what I'd heard from her boyfriend at the time. I figured she'd be perfect to straighten Adam out..."

"Pun intended?" Strohm joked

"I never figured that Adam was so clueless when it came to girls. I basically had to take over his mind every time she was around so he wouldn't make a total ass of himself." Edge answered

"What you are telling me is that Adam never had any interest in this girl?"

"I guess not. You could always ask him." Edge stated

"I was going to until you arrived." Strohm responded

"Well, I can leave, if that's the way you feel."

There was an awkward bit of silence following that. Strohm looked at his patient, watching for any change that might indicate that Adam was back.

"Adam?"

He sat up with a start. "You see?" A panic that Strohm hadn't heard from Adam invaded his tone. "It's like that all the time, now. I can't control it!"

"Yes, I do. Our time is almost up. It has been a very good session. What I am going to do right now is give you a prescription for Haldol. Follow the directions precisely. As well, I am going to start seeing you every week from now on." Strohm scribbled on a smaller pad.

"Doc, do you know what's causing this?" Adam demanded

"I have a theory, but it is too early to make a specific diagnosis. All I can suggest is that you take the medication. If you find that it doesn't work for you, we will try something else." Strohm stood up and handed the slip to Adam. "The dispensary is next door."

"Thanks, I guess." Adam had hoped for something a little more definitive than a pat on the back and a bag of pills.

"I will see you next week. And Adam, whatever happens, don't worry. We will get to the bottom of this."

Adam went back out into the waiting room and booked his next appointment.

"How'd it go?" Jay asked

"Fine, I guess. We talked about a lot of stuff and he gave me a prescription that should help. I gotta go next door and get it filled."

"I'll pull the car around, dude."

Adam sighed. It was good to know that he wasn't crazy, but he was still troubled. Hopefully, the drugs would do something for him.

...

Jeff spent the entire day with Matt. He'd ended up telling Matt everything that had happened, once he'd been assured by his brother that he was not going to do anything stupid.

"Any clue how long I'm stuck here?" Matt asked

"Nope."

"Did you stay here all night?" Matt asked

"No. Kinda wished I would." Jeff explained his run-in with Adam and Jay in the convenience store and his eventual breakdown in Randy's hotel room.

"I told ya, little bro, you've got a lot more friends than you think." Matt answered

"I guess so." Jeff answered

"I know so." Matt rebutted "But I still don't get it what's gotten into Adam lately."

"Can we not talk about him?" A lump was forming in Jeff's throat.

"Sorry, Jeffro, I wasn't thinking." Matt stroked the side of his face. "I guess this means that you'll be the heart-breaker in the family right now."

"No... once the swelling goes down, you'll have any girl you want." Jeff responded

Matt went silent.

"Whatcha thinkin' bout, bro?" Jeff asked. Usually Jeff was the one who went into spaced-out mode when things got too heavy for him.

"Jeff, I'm really sorry for what happened."

"Whaddaya mean? This wasn't your fault." Jeff answered

"Not just this... the whole Eric thing. I started thinking with my dick instead of my brain and look where it got us."

"Matty, it's okay." Jeff squeezed his brother's hand. "Everyone knows that your dick is bigger than your brain anyway." He laughed

Matt peeked under the covers. "I guess you're right." He smiled "Hey, at least now that my face is shit, the girls will find some reason to talk to me."

"Matty... I'm having icky thoughts now!" Jeff covered his face in his hands.

"You're not the only one!" Matt answered "I just realized that I'm turning on my own brother."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not! Not! Not!"

"Too... too... too!"

"Not to infinity!"

"Then explain that!" Matt pointed to Jeff's crotch.

"I gotta go." Jeff ran into the bathroom.

Matt lay back. "Poor Jeffy." He smiled

Jeff returned, any evidence of the monster in his pants now gone.

"I thought you got lost. I was tempted to send a nurse in after you." Matt smiled again. "Did you have fun?"

Jeff hung his head sheepishly.

"Question answered... don't they feed people around here?" Matt's stomach rumbled loudly. "I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I dunno. Hospital food is yucky anyway." Jeff said

"I know, but I can't exactly go out looking like this, wearing a gown that is three sizes too small. " Matt threw the covers back.

"Icky thoughts! Icky thoughts!" Jeff ran around the room, shouting. "Get out of my head, icky thoughts!"

"Knock, knock." The nurse entered, bearing two trays of food. "I figured you boys could use a bit of a snack."

"Thanks, nurse." Matt said until he looked under the cover. "Jello, applesauce, ice cream..."

"Ugh!" He groaned

"I know dear, but you're on a liquid diet until your mouth heals."

"How about a beer?" Matt joked "That's liquid, right?"

"We'll see what we can do." She responded "Oh, you have another visitor. Are you up for it."

"Sure." Matt answered

"Daddy!" Jeff shouted when he saw Gil. He abandoned his food and embraced his father.

"Hiya, pop." Matt said

"Hiya, son." Gil answered "They told me you had a bit of an accident..."

"It was Addy! He hurt Matty!" Jeff shouted

"I can see that." Gil answered "How you feelin', son?"

"Probably as good as I look." Matt answered

"Well, I brought you some stuff to keep you busy. The tell me you'll be here for a few days." Gil said "Some books, Bunny..."

"What?"

"Yeah! Bunny's gonna stay with you until you get all better!" Jeff danced around the room.

"Jeff, don't you need her?" Matt asked

"I talked to Bunny and she said she doesn't mind. She wants to be with her Uncle Matty." Jeff said "Isn't that right, Bunny?"

Bunny nodded. (Please don't ask!)

"Do you mind telling me exactly what happened, son? All I know is that you got hurt during a match." Gil sat down

"Dad, it's a long story." Matt answered

"Your aunt isn't coming to get me for a couple hours at least. She had some running around to do. Son, you know I love you, no matter what. Just tell me what's goin' on."

"Jeffro, do you really wanna hear this again?" Matt asked

"Yeah, Matty, maybe your right. I'm gonna go for a walk." Jeff answered "Take care of Bunny while I'm gone."

As Jeff was leaving the hospital, Randy was pulling up to it. They encountered one another in the parking lot.

"Jeff?" Randy shouted. He was carrying a large stuffed bear. "That you?"

"Randy!" Jeff yelled, running at him. He caught him in a bear hug. "I thought you had to go!"

"After what happened last night, I talked to Vince. I told him about what happened and asked if I could stick around for a few more days. He didn't seem all that happy about it, but he agreed."

"Awesome!" Jeff finally let go of Randy, an expression of pure joy on his face. Jeff was finally starting to believe what Matt had told him: that he did have a lot of friends in the locker room.

"Can he have visitors?" Randy asked

"Yeah. My dad's with him now." Jeff answered

"You goin' somewhere?"

"Nah. I just didn't wanna hear Matt explain the situation with Adam. It still hurts." Jeff stared at the sidewalk.

"Just let me drop this off and then, if you'd like, we can hang out for a bit, if you want to that is..."

"Yeah. I really would like that." Jeff was warming up to Randy. He thought that if it was possible to have a guy friend that he didn't want to fuck, then Randy would be that friend.

"Cool. I'll be right back." Randy ran inside.

"I've got a delivery for Matt Hardy." He announced at reception.

"Fourth floor."

"I'm running a little late. Is there someone who can take this up to him?" Randy asked

"I'm going that way." A young nurse answered

"Thanks." Randy handed off the balloons and bear, and ran back out to Jeff.

"That was fast." Jeff stated

"Yeah. Something about hospitals that always creep me out. Maybe later, I'll visit Matt."

"Whatever." Jeff said "Where're we goin'?"

"I dunno. Depends what you wanna do... have dinner, get drunk, fuck each other's brains out." Randy answered

"All of the above." Jeff replied automatically. "But not necessarily with you."

"That's good. Because I was only willing to do the first two. You'll have to find someone else to help out with the last one." Randy smiled.

"Well, there's a bar around here somewhere." Randy drove randomly, finally stopping at a light. "If not, what good is this... Jeff, what the hell are you doing?"

Jeff had jumped out of the car and was running towards a pair of blonds. Adam and Jay had just come out of one of the stores and were now in, literally, the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Oh boy." Jay mumbled. He saw Jeff a moment before Adam had, and two moments before they were suddenly confronted.

"Hi Jeff. How's Matt doing?" Jay asked, hoping for some civility out of him, since he was on the outside of the whole Matt/Jeff/Adam/Eric quadrangle.

"Shut up." Jeff shouted, turning his attention to Adam. "I just thought you might like to know that Matt is gonna be okay, no thanks to you!"

"Jeff, can I explain?" Adam thought Jeff might understand the reasoning behind the attack, but Hardy wouldn't have anything to do with it.

"No, you cannot!" Jeff put his hand in Adam's face. "I don't want to hear another word from you."

"Jeff, calm down. There is a good reason..." Jay tried to interrupt as well, but got just as far.

"Shaddap." Jeff glared. "I don't care what you have to say either. Just stay the hell away from me and stay the hell away from my Matty if you know what's good for you."

"Jeff! Come here!" Randy barked. If he had been able to find a parking place faster, then this whole confrontation could've been avoided.

Jeff turned

"Get in the car!" Randy pointed "This is no way to act!"

Jeff turned, prepared to give Randy a mouthful of venom, but stopped. Randy wasn't trying to hurt him, he told himself.

"Look, guys, I apologize for Jeff, but you gotta understand him. Right now, he needs someone to vent on and you're the logical candidate." Randy took a firm grip on Jeff's elbow. "I'm sure Jeff didn't mean what he said."

"The hell I didn't." Jeff retorted

"Jeff, enough. Get in the car. I'll be right back." With a quick tug, Jeff was sent toward the vehicle.

Randy looked at Adam and Jay, with a look of pity. "You gotta feel for him, though."

"He doesn't even want to hear my side of the story." Adam said

"Not now, he doesn't." Randy answered "But I'm sure that once Matt is back, things will settle down a lot. For now, I would watch your back."

"Don't worry, I will." Adam answered

"Cool. Call me later and we'll catch up. I'd like to hear your side of it before I get too involved." Randy strode back to his car, where Jeff sat sullenly in the seat.

"Whatever happened to forgive and forget?" Randy asked, restarting the engine.

"After what he did... you've got to be shitting me!" Jeff crossed his arms and stared out the window.

"Well, any more of that and you can forget about me as a friend! I didn't get involved just to stop you from attacking Adam!"

"Yeah, then why did you get involved?" Jeff spat

"You already know the answer to that." Randy replied "It's because I care about you. Now, how about that drink?"

ONE WEEK LATER...

Adam made his appearance for his weekly therapy session with Dr. Strohm.

"And how has this week been going, Adam... it is Adam, correct?"

"Terrible." Adam answered "I can't go anywhere without Jeff being there." In addition to the encounter mentioned earlier, Adam had run into Jeff on two other occasions, neither of which had gone very well for the R-Rated superstar. It seemed like Jeff was going out of his way to antagonize him.

"Maybe I should schedule a session for both of you. It might give you a chance to explain yourself."

"I tried, but he won't listen to me!"

"Maybe he will listen to me." Strohm scribbled a reminder on his steno pad. "Other than that, how have things been? Is the Haldol working?"

"I think so. I've only had one out-of-control moment." Adam answered "I think Edge is finally starting to fade into the background. When I get back to work, though..."

"We'll take a look at that situation when it arises." Strohm answered "I have spoken to your employer and we agree that the best thing for you right now is a leave of absence. You won 't have to worry about bringing Edge back into your life until we're sure that Adam can handle him."

"That's a relief." Adam sighed, slouching in the chair.

"We briefly touched on your relationship with Jeff last session. Today I want to discuss your relationship with his brother Matthew. How would you describe it?"

"Matt and I were great friends. Until Edge ruined it."

"Are we talking about Lita here?"

"Uhmmm... yeah."

"Apparently you had a romantic relationship with this Lita, who happened to be the girlfriend/fiancee of Matt Hardy at the time, am I understanding this correctly?"

"Yeah, something like that." Adam answered "I don't even know why. I was never that interested in her that way, even if she hadn't been with Matt!"

Strohm nodded. It was not uncommon for patients with multiple personalities to have memory lapses like this. Things Edge did Adam might not remember, and vice-versa.

"And then when he came back, we had a match at Summerslam, which I don't even recall. They tell me I kicked Matt so hard, they had to stop the match midway through."

"You don't recall any of it."

"I remember sitting in the locker room and someone saying "You're up next Edge." Then it's all a blank. The next thing I knew was sitting at my locker, and someone was telling me that I better get changed before they lock the place up. Apparently I'd been staring into space for three hours. Three fuckin' hours, Doc? What the hell?"

"How frequently do you have these memory lapses?" The more Strohm talked to Adam, the clearer his psychoses became.

"Rarely. But they're getting longer each time." Adam answered "What's wrong with me?"

"I usually don't do this, but I am going to level with you. This is what I think is happening. I only met him briefly last session, but I believe that Edge does not like the fact that Adam has, or had, a crush on another man." Strohm looked at him. "From my discussion with him, he comes across as showing intense homophobic reactions as well as dis-associative behaviors toward anyone he perceives as 'not straight', to use his words. In short, your attraction to Jeff makes him feel threatened."

"So what do I do?" Adam asked, a worried crease appearing on his forehead.

"Continue to take the Haldol as prescribed. If you find that Edge is starting to creep back into your mind, up the dosage by one gram per day maximum. I will arrange for a joint session next week with you and Jeff." Hopefully, that will ease some of the strain for you."

"But what about Edge? I hate what he makes me do, but I sorta need him, if you know what I mean."

"Maybe it's time for an overhaul." Strohm said "Find a new character... one that's less tortured, shall we say? I'll see you next week."

Adam left the office, thankful that he had more answers than questions this time. His only hope was that Jeff would agree to the session. So far, he'd refused to listen to Adam when he tried to justify the attack, would he listen to the doctor? Only time would tell...

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Will the doctor be able to convince Jeff? Can Adam keep Edge out of the way... what will happen? Tune in tomorrow (or the next day) for the conclusion of Grade 2!_


	4. Chapter 4

Dirty Laundry

"Aw, Matty, do I hafta?" Jeff whined

"Yes, you do. If you want to keep your job, we all have to agree to this." Matt dragged his brother by the arm.

At Vince's insistence, both Matt and Jeff were meeting with Adam and Dr. Strohm. This session had originally been planned for much earlier, but continuing scheduling conflicts, supposedly, kept pushing it back further and further until finally, Vince put his foot down.

"Fine. I'll just retire. My contract expires in a month anyway." Jeff sulked, pulling away from Matt.

"Dammit, Eric, why did I make that promise?" Matt moaned "Fine, Jeff, if you don't want to do this, I can't force you to, but I'm going. I'm ready to move on with my life. If you want to harbor a grudge, that's fine with me." Matt's face had healed completely over the last two months, and though he was still not cleared to return to the ring, he was close.

"Yay..." Jeff danced back to the house.

"But do you think Eric would want you to be like this?" Matt shouted "I sure don't."

Jeff stopped in mid-skip. "That's not fair, Matty."

"Sorry, bro, but think about it." Matt got into the car, leaving a confused Jeff on the stoop.

"I hate it when he's right." Jeff grumbled, but got in.

They zoomed through traffic. Every time Matt stopped for a red light, he expected Jeff to bolt. He seemed to become more anxious the closer they the doctor's office.

"Jeff, if you really don't wanna do this, that's fine. I don't want to guilt you into anything. I just think it would be better if you and Adam got everything out in the open and then maybe we can all go on with our lives." Matt idled at the corner.

"But Matty, there's nothing that Adam can say that will change my mind about him." Jeff whined "He killed Eric, he tried to kill you, why?"

"I don't know why Jeffro. That's why we're doing this." Matt stated. Jeff's nervousness was starting to affect him. "One step at a time." Matt reminded himself.

While they waited for the doctor, Matt and Jeff had the misfortune of being recognized by a young boy.

"Hey mom, it's the Hardy Boyz!" He screeched "What are they doing here?"

"I don't know Trevor. Maybe they took one too many chair shots to the head." His mother replied, not looking up from her copy of Cosmopolitan. "Now sit down and be still."

"Aw, mom..." Trevor whined "Can I get their autographs?"

"No. Now sit down and leave them alone."

Trevor started to throw a tantrum.

"Remind you of someone." Matt whispered

It took Jeff a second to catch on. "When have I ever acted like that?"

"Recently... how about last week when I told you not to bring Bunny out with us? Ring a bell?"

Jeff slunk in his chair.

"Matt and Jeff Hardy... the doctor will see you now." The receptionist called.

Leaving Trevor and his tantrum, they followed her back to the offices of Dr. Strohm, where Adam was already there.

"Gentlemen, so glad you could make it." Strohm stood, offering his hand to them.

Matt shook. Jeff didn't.

"Have a seat. With your permission Adam, I think we should begin with some explanations."

"Go ahead." Adam replied

Matt noticed right away that there was something different about Adam. He didn't seem as angry as he had been the past year. Jeff was too preoccupied with staring at the birds that had perched on the window sill.

"From both the medical workup and my own counselling sessions with Adam, I have come to several conclusions. One, Adam suffers from a split personality disorder..."

Jeff laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I knew this was a mistake." Adam added right away.

"Gentlemen, let me finish. I assure you that this will start to make sense. As I was saying, secondly, his other personality seems to have a problem with Adam's confusion regarding his sexual identity and three, this other personality manifests its displeasure by using violence against those he perceives as causing Adam to have these identity problems." Strohm replied

"Other personality? You mean he's schizo?" Matt asked calmly.

"Mildly, yes." Strohm replied "But the important thing is we know what is causing Adam's recent violent tendencies. This alter ego has been slowly pushing the part that is Adam into the background and taking more control of his life."

"Does this personality have a name?" Jeff demanded

"Yes, he does. You'd know him better as Edge." Strohm answered

Both Matt and Jeff's jaws dropped.

"Nice try, doc. Do you really expect me to believe that Adam's on-air personality is responsible for the hell he's put me through. Why?"

"My theory is... maybe Adam should tell you." Strohm looked at the lone Canadian in the room.

"Jeff, you know I've always had feelings for you. I just never knew how to express them. In the beginning, I used Edge as a way to turn those feelings off. You've seen Edge... it's always about the ladies with him. But lately, he's been taking more and more control over me. Every time I'd think about you, there he'd be telling me how wrong it was, and pushing the part of me that was Adam further and further into the background." Adam rambled

"Whaddaya sayin'? That you wanted me, but Edge wouldn't let you?" Jeff asked

"I guess Edge felt threatened that Adam wanted a guy romantically. It challenged his machismo." Adam hung his head. "And the only way that Edge thought Adam would forget about Jeff was to do things that would drive us apart."

"I don't get it." Matt added "You're telling us that it wasn't you who did all those bad things, it was Edge?"

"I don't expect you to believe me, and I don't blame you if you don't, but that's the truth." Adam reached for a Kleenex.

"I dunno, man. This is a little weird, even for me." Jeff replied

"I am aware of how unorthodox this appears, but I can assure you the diagnosis is sound." Strohm cut in. "Adam and I have been meeting weekly for over two months now and between the counselling and the medications, he has come a long way."

"So where do we go from here, Doc?" Matt asked

"I would suggest that the three of you sit down sometime and really talk about what has been going on in your life as it relates to each other. The healing process has begun, but Adam still has a long way to go. He needs the support of those people he considers friends." Strohm folded his hands, fingertips touching, and stared over the pyramid at the trio. "And for the healing to be most effective, I'd say the sooner the better."

"You mean right now?" Matt asked

"It doesn't have to be right now." Strohm answered "In fact, I would suggest you find a neutral location to do it. Somewhere that doesn't have a connection to any of you. I find that is usually most beneficial."

So that is the reason why, at nine o'clock that night, Matt, Jeff, and Adam ended up sitting around a table in a room at a nearby hotel, staring at each other.

"I guess I better start." Adam broke the uncomfortable silence. "Thanks for agreeing to do this."

"Adam, you have to admit that if we hadn't heard it from the shrink, some of us would still think you are full of shit!" Matt replied

"Some of us still do." Jeff added

"Jeff, what more do you want me to do to convince you that wasn't me doing those bad things to you... to the both of you?" Adam demanded "You guys were two of my closest friends in or out of the business..."

"And you hurt us both really badly. Why should we be willing to forgive you, regardless of what you've told us?" Jeff yelled "You took away the person that meant the most to me on this whole fuckin' planet, tried to end my brother's life, took his girlfriend as well. Why, Adam, why should we believe you now?"

Jeff kicked his chair away and stormed to the window.

"Do you think Jeff will ever believe me?" Adam asked, sighing loudly.

"I dunno. I believe you, if that helps." Matt reached across the table and took Adam's shaking hands in his own.

"Thanks, Matt. You don't know how much that means to me." Adam was grateful that at least one person understood.

"I'm a little more of a pragmatist than Jeff. I don't go on emotions. I can face facts." Matt answered

"Yeah. Matty has always been the level-headed one." Jeff returned to the table. Setting his chair back in place, he faced Adam and his brother. "After all the crap you've put my family through, you'll forgive me if I don't start kissing your ass right away just because some Doctor says you weren't you."

"I understand, Jeff." Adam responded "I wouldn't blame you if after today you never wanted to speak to me again."

"I just wanna know why, Adam. If you knew you were this out of control, why didn't you get help earlier?" Jeff asked

"I dunno, Jeff. I always figured that I could handle things. I mean, Edge never did anything really bad until recently." Adam responded "I'm not making excuses for what he did, but I never knew how controlling he could be."

"I understand that part." Jeff replied, wishing for a cold beverage or ten right at that moment. "But what do you want out of us? If you think that everything is going to back to the way it was, then you're even more fucked in the head than even that Doctor thinks!"

"I don't expect things to ever be the same between the three of us. I just hope that maybe you can find some compassion..."

"Compassion, yeah right! Where was your compassion when you allowed Edge to kill my boyfriend? Where was your fuckin' compassion when you rearranged Matt's face?? Where was your fuckin' compassion when you took my life and turned it upside-down??? I'll accept the reasoning behind it, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna show you any compassion at all." Jeff was screaming so hard, tears were rolling down his face. "I've heard enough! I'm leaving and Adam, I never want to see you again!"

Jeff stormed out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind him.

"Fuck." Matt mumbled "I guess it's a good thing I gave him back Bunny. He's gonna be alone for a while."

Adam had a stunned expression on his face, then it turned to hysteria. He started to cry loudly, laying his head in his arms, his sobs racking his entire frame.

Matt was torn in two. Part of him felt exactly the same way Jeff did, but the other part of him, the rational part, felt sorry for him.

"Adam, I don't know what to say..." Matt went over and started rubbing Adam's shoulders. "Do you want me to try to talk to Jeff about this? Maybe he'll listen to his big brother."

"Forget it, Matt." Adam cried "It's over. I've lost him forever."

"C'mere." Matt pulled Adam into a tight embrace. "Want Matty to make all the hurt go away?"

"How? It'll never go away." Adam held onto Matt for dear life.

Matt began to sing to him, the same song he had sung to Jeff many times when he needed consolation.

You and I

Have followed the trace

Laid by the people of faith and pride

With hungry eyes

You and I

Could conquer the stars

If we tried

Or simply live by simpler vows

And let the storm go by...

You and I

Have written the book

Line by line

And the few things that took to survive

Was your loving heart and mine

Should you go

Remember these words

As they show

Just how much I care

Don't you know

I'll always be there

I'll always be there

There when the world and its promise is failing

I'll always be there

There when the frost of its winter is cursing

I'll always be there

There when tears in you eyes

Keep asking me

I'll always be there

"Sorry, I don't know the rest. Usually Jeff has calmed down by the time I get to the first chorus." Matt said

"Thank-you Matt." Adam said softly

"I don't forget, but I'll always forgive. Don't ever forget that." Matt replied "Are you gonna be okay if I go see where Jeff went to?"

"Yeah, I think so." Adam wiped his nose noisily with his forearm.

"He's probably just sitting in the car." Matt replied "I got the keys. I'll be right back."

Matt looked out the window. His hypothesis was right. Jeff was indeed sitting in the car, listening to something on his I-pod, judging by the way his body was moving. Either that or he was having a seizure.

"Yeah, he's in the car. I won't be gone long." Matt left. Adam stared into space, thankful that at least one of them seemed to care.

Matt slid behind the driver's seat and yanked one of the earphones out.

"Owie!" Jeff screeched

"You should just be thankful that is all I did. What the hell is wrong with you Jeffrey Nero Hardy?" Matt demanded "We agreed that we'd try to be understanding."

"No, you agreed, big brother." Jeff retorted "I didn't wanna do this in the first place."

"Whatever. Do you ever stop to think that maybe this time, it wasn't about how much you hurt?" Matt shouted

"Whatever. Just drive me home." Jeff ordered

"Drive your own fuckin' self home." Matt threw the keys at Jeff. "I'm staying. Adam needs at least one person who doesn't think he's a total fuck-up right now, and since it obviously ain't gonna be you, then I guess it's gonna hafta be me!"

Matt tossed the keys at Jeff and got out of the car. He went back inside. Adam was just as Matt had left him... sitting at the table, looking into space.

"That was fast."

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long. What? Did you think I was gonna bolt on you?"

"Sorta." Adam answered

"Can I ask you a couple of questions before things get any crazier?" Matt sat opposite Adam, and looked directly into his eyes.

"Sure." Adam replied. His shrink was right. Talking did help him feel better.

"How many people in the company know?"

"I dunno. I only told Vince. He asked Brisco to drive me home, but I don't think he told him." Adam responded "And Jay sorta knows. He went with me to my first appointment."

"Okay. I only asked because you know how Jeff starves for attention sometimes. I don't know what the boys think, but I'm sure that not many of them have considered this as a solution. Jeff is gonna milk this."

"Probably. They all think that ole Adam lost it completely." Adam cracked a smile.

"I just wanted to know in case anyone asks. I don't wanna tell them anything that you don't want me to." Matt replied "Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm sure you have better places to be." Adam replied

"If you want me to stay, I will." Matt said "I just thought..."

"Go." Adam repeated "I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Matt hugged Adam before he left. "Just take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Matt. I will." Adam smiled again

Matt left the room again. Seconds later he heard the sound of an engine rev; apparently Jeff hadn't left after all, and then Adam was left alone. The silence was unbearable and after a while Adam turned on the television just for background noise.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was time for his medication. Taking the small bottle from his pocket, he shook out one of the pills. Suddenly, his hand clenched, shattering the plastic container, and raining pills all over the table.

"Dammit." He gathered the pills into a pile and counted them. He still had sixteen left, enough for several days. Adam went into the kitchen, originally to get some water, but his attention was distracted by a bottle of scotch sitting on the counter. Never a big drinker, he poured himself a double and used it to wash down his pill.

"Yeah, Adam, take the chicken way out. Those pills aren't helping you control me any more. I'm still here!" Edge whispered from deep in Adam's mind.

"No!" Adam shouted, pounding the sides of his head. "Get out of my mind!"

"Make me!" Edge shouted "Those meds won't help you forever."

"Fine." Adam grabbed a handful of them and swallowed them, washing them down with several big swigs of the liquor. It did quiet the voice in his head, but it also made Adam feel really weird.

"Time for sleep." He thought, staggering onto a nearby twin bed. "That's all I need is a nice long rest."

Adam lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes. He was thinking of all the good times he'd had with Matt and Jeff, and how he could never get them back when he fell asleep.

He was found by the desk clerk, still on the bed, when he didn't answer the check-out time. He had died sometime during the night. An autopsy ruled that the cause of death was a mixture of alcohol and medications. He was 35 years old.

While going through his luggage, the following note was found.

To Whom It May Concern:

If you are reading this note, then obviously I am no longer here. Things have gone from bad to worse for me and I feel that there is no way out. I am afraid of what might happen if I let Edge even come back into my mind for a moment and I can't risk hurting anyone else. To Matt and Jeff, I'm really sorry for all the hurt I caused you and I hope you'll take some comfort in the fact that I did, and still do, consider you friends. Matt, I appreciate that you were there for me in the end, but this was something I needed to do. You tried, but you just couldn't take all the pain from me. Jeff, I hope that you'll be able to find the peace you need to move on and what I did had nothing to do with you. I know you're gonna feel guilty, and there's nothing I can do to stop you, but remember this was my choice... my decision... my fate.

I leave you now, hoping that this finally brings closure for everyone. I know it will for me.

Adam

Whether or not, he actually planned to do this remains unknown as it was written in the days preceding his death.

Adam Copeland 1974-2009.

**THE END**

_A somber ending to a somber series. I am now taking a hiatus, since my new place does not have internet. When I return, I will be starting a new series featuring your favorite WWE superstars._

_To all my fans, I hope you have enjoyed them and I look forward to providing you with more of the same in the future._

_For now, this is the Rratedauthor, saying so long!_


End file.
